May Newsletter

May 1, 2023,

Dear Members of the J. Turner Hood School Community,

It is hard to believe that the school year is almost over. As I reflect, I am amazed at the growth the students have made this year and even more amazed at the growth that the fifth graders have shown since walking in on their first day of kindergarten. It was so much fun watching them grow and learn. 

Educator Appreciation Week: Next week is Educator Appreciation Week;  I hope all families will join me in sending a note to our Hood School staff members thanking them for the amazing work they do every day.  As we approach teacher appreciation week, I am deeply grateful to the amazing staff that we have. We all have many roles but we are all teachers guiding our students to success. This group is highly dedicated and focused on what is important. They are steadfast in their delivery of curriculum and always available to support our students when needed. As the school leader, I appreciate their efforts everyday. 

Parent Association: I would like to thank the Parents Association and all who volunteered their time and talents to provide fun activities and support for the students and staff thus far this year. I think I can speak for the entire staff and say that we are VERY grateful for your help and support. We are very excited to continue to work toward our shared goal of installing a new updated play structure on-site. A special thank you to Mr. Carroll, Mr. Quinlan, and Mrs. Gorman who have been steadfast in their work in assisting this group on the aforementioned cause. An additional thank you to Mrs. Likeweg who has worked as our parents' association coordinator this year. 

Parent Information Event: As a school community we have worked on several internal goals focused on social-emotional learning, school culture, belonging, and shared expectations. We have scheduled a virtual parent informational session as follows:

Wednesday, June 7 · 4:00 – 4:30pm

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/mfe-hvme-zdo

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 347-343-4956‬ PIN: ‪402 865 080‬#
 

It is our plan to share updates to our current practices, introduce several new initiatives and answer any questions for our school community. This will be recorded and available to those that can not attend.  

Open House Announcement: We will be hosting our annual open house on June 1st. Please stop by and visit your students' classroom and check out what our learners have been engaged in.  Open House will begin at  5pm and conclude at 6:30. Please plan on visiting our fourth grade wax museum activity as well. Our students love performing for members of our school community

School Events: Please stay updated regarding school events (We have so many exciting things happening) by accessing the Hood School calendar. Our school website is a great resource. We hope that you will find the information that is posted on our website to be
valuable to you and your children. Please check our site often as there are always things going on. Please click on the calendar tab in order to view a monthly school calendar.

RMLD Contest Winners:  We are pleased to announce our Reading Municipal Light Department Contest Winners from our school. Congratulations!

(L to R): Bianca Montenegro, Mila DelRossi, Andrew Taylor & Mrs. Pintzopoulos (Art Teacher)

- See attached version 

Art Update: Please welcome Mrs. Bree Mahoney to our teaching staff. As many of you are aware, Mrs. Pintzopoulos, our art teacher,  welcomed the newest addition to her family. I have selected Mrs. Bree Mahoney to serve as Mrs. Pintzopoulos’ substitute teacher. Mrs. Bree Mahoney has experience in this role in a neighboring district and we are fortunate to have such a highly qualified candidate serving in this role.

Field Day (From Mr. Quinlan):

It is time to get excited for the 2023 Hood School Field Day! All Grades will be outside for the day as we did last year. Huge Thank You to Erin Carlson and the PA for coordinating water and snack stations as well as the Sign Up Genius for parent volunteers. Sign ups generally fill up fast so if you are hoping to volunteer and make this year's field day a, e blast, do not hesitate to check out the link attached. We will have 18 stations that students will participate in. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4FAEAD29A6FC1-field1 

Better Speech & Hearing Month: A reminder from our speech team (Desma Kuras, Lauren Hinchion, and Ciara Fretto) May is Better Speech and Hearing Month and this year's motto is Everyone communicates differently. Communication disorders are among the most common conditions in children and adults, affecting tens of millions of people in the United States alone. Let's celebrate all the ways we communicate here at the Hood!